Psion Revo Plus: Difference between revisions

Remove the Category:Home Computers link — the category has no page and renders as a red link
Restructure to product-page template; new infobox photo (Psion press image, uploaded); release date Sept 2000 and board/software differences cited to Centre for Computing History; fix netogram URL (was the Series 3 page); loose-cell fault per Millican
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{{Infobox computer
{{Infobox computer
| name        = Psion Revo Plus
| name        = Psion Revo Plus
| image        = [[File:Psion Revo and Ericsson MC218.jpg|250px]]
| image        = [[File:Psion Revo Plus.jpg|250px]]
| caption      = A Revo alongside an Ericsson MC218 — the rebadged Series 5mx — showing the size difference between the two EPOC machines
| caption      = Psion product photograph of a German-market Revo Plus; the "16MB" marking is below the screen
| developer    = Psion Teklogix
| developer    = Psion
| manufacturer = Psion Teklogix
| manufacturer = Psion
| type        = Clamshell palmtop / PDA
| type        = Clamshell palmtop / PDA
| release_date = 2000
| release_date = September 2000 (Europe)
| discontinued = 2003
| discontinued = 2003
| cpu          = ARM710T @ 36 MHz
| cpu          = ARM710T @ 36 MHz
| memory      = 8 MB ROM; '''16 MB RAM'''
| memory      = 16 MB RAM; 8 MB ROM
| storage      = Internal RAM disk only — no CompactFlash slot
| storage      = Internal RAM disk only; no memory card slot
| display      = 480 × 160 monochrome LCD, 16 greyscales, resistive touchscreen, no backlight
| display      = 480 × 160 greyscale LCD (16 grey levels), touch-sensitive; no backlight
| sound        = Speaker
| sound        = Loudspeaker
| dimensions  = 157 mm × 79 mm × 17 mm
| dimensions  = 157 mm × 78 mm × 18 mm
| weight      = 200 g
| weight      = 200 g
| os          = Symbian (EPOC32) Release 5
| power        = 2 × internal AAA NiMH rechargeable cells (700 mAh)
| os          = EPOC Release 5 (Symbian)
| predecessor  = [[Psion Revo]]
| predecessor  = [[Psion Revo]]
| model        = Rebadged for the United States and Canada as the Diamond Mako
| model        = Rebadged for the United States and Canada as the Diamond Mako
}}
}}
The '''Psion Revo Plus''' is the upgraded [[Psion Revo|Revo]]: '''16 MB of RAM instead of 8 MB''', a '''larger battery''', and — importantly for anyone repairing one — '''a fix for the loose-battery problem that afflicted the original'''.<ref name="wprevo">[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psion_Revo "Psion Revo"], Wikipedia. Source for the Revo Plus's RAM and battery differences, the fix for the loose-battery problem, the Diamond Mako rebadge, and the battery, charging and recalibration behaviour shared with the Revo.</ref>
The '''Psion Revo Plus''' is the 16 MB version of the [[Psion Revo]], first released in Europe in September 2000. It has twice the Revo's RAM, a redesigned main board to take the new memory chip, a larger battery, and the Opera web browser and a WAP browser in its software.<ref name="cch" /><ref name="wprevo" /> The processor, screen, keyboard and case size are the Revo's, and the Revo pages apply except where this page notes a difference.<ref name="spec" /><ref name="wprevo" />


Everything else is a Revo: the same '''36 MHz ARM710T''', the same 480 × 160 screen with no backlight, no card slot, the same 157 × 79 × 17 mm case at 200 g, and the same two internal NiMH AAA cells.<ref name="wprevo" /><ref name="spec">[https://www.psion.netogram.com/psionspecifications.html "Psion 3mx, Psion 5, Psion 5mx, Psion Revo and Psion Revo Plus specifications"], netogram.com. Source for the Revo Plus ROM and RAM sizes, dimensions, weight, interfaces, docking station, battery type and power adapter rating.</ref>
== History ==


'''The whole of [[Psion Revo]] applies to this machine.''' This page records what is different.
Psion released the Revo Plus in Europe in September 2000, about ten months after the Revo.<ref name="cch" /><ref name="wprevo" /> SONICblue sold it in the United States and Canada as the Diamond Mako.<ref name="wprevo" /> The Revo line ended in 2003, and its planned successor, codenamed Conan, was never released.<ref name="wprevo" />


== What changed ==
== Specifications ==


<templatestyles src="Template:StyledTable/styles.css" />
{| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:70%; text-align:left;"
{| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:70%; text-align:left;"
|+'''Revo → Revo Plus'''<ref name="wprevo" /><ref name="spec" />
|+'''Psion Revo Plus specification'''<ref name="spec" /><ref name="cch" />
! Change !! Detail
! Item !! Specification
|-
|-
| '''RAM''' || '''16 MB''', doubled from 8 MB
| Processor || ARM710T, 36 MHz
|-
|-
| '''Battery''' || '''Larger''' than the Revo's
| ROM || 8 MB
|-
|-
| '''Battery retention''' || '''Fixed.''' The original Revo suffers from '''batteries coming loose and unplugging''' inside the case; this was corrected on the Plus
| RAM || 16 MB
|-
|-
| '''Rebadge''' || Sold in the United States and Canada by SONICblue as the '''Diamond Mako'''
| Display || 480 × 160, 16 grey levels, touch-sensitive; no backlight
|-
| Keyboard || 53-key QWERTY
|-
| Interfaces || Infrared (IrDA); RS-232 serial through the docking station
|-
| Batteries || Two internal AAA NiMH rechargeable cells, 700 mAh; average run time 14 hours (netogram)
|-
| Mains adaptor input || 100–240 V AC ±10 %, 50/60 Hz
|-
| Size and weight || 15.7 × 7.8 × 1.8 cm, 200 g
|-
| Operating system || EPOC Release 5
|}
|}


The RAM increase is the headline, but '''the battery retention fix is the one that matters for restoration'''. On an original Revo, a machine that intermittently dies or refuses to charge may simply have its battery connector working loose inside the case — a failure mode the Plus does not share.<ref name="wprevo" />
=== Differences from the Revo ===


== Batteries ==
{| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:70%; text-align:left;"
|+'''Revo and Revo Plus compared'''
! !! Revo !! Revo Plus
|-
| RAM || 8 MB<ref name="revohb" /> || 16 MB<ref name="spec" />
|-
| Cells || 2 × 650 mAh AAA NiMH<ref name="revohb" /> || 2 × 700 mAh AAA NiMH<ref name="cch" /><ref name="r3uk" />
|-
| Main board || Original || Redesigned for the new memory chip<ref name="cch" />
|-
| Software || EPOC Release 5 suite || Adds the Opera web browser and a WAP browser<ref name="cch" />
|-
| Nameplate || "revo" || "revo PLUS"<ref name="cch" />
|}
 
The Revo Plus holds twice the RAM in standby, so it uses more charge while switched off. Kevin Millican estimates about 6 % a day for a Revo Plus or Mako, against 3 % for a Revo.<ref name="millican" />
 
[[File:Psion Revo Plus (closed).jpg|thumb|300px|The Revo Plus closed, with the "revo PLUS" nameplate on the lid]]
 
== Battery and charging ==
 
The Revo Plus has the same arrangement as the Revo: two AAA NiMH cells soldered to a connector and sealed under the lid nameplate. R3UK's replacement guide was written on a Revo Plus and covers the Revo, Revo Plus and Diamond Mako.<ref name="r3uk" />


Still '''two internal NiMH AAA cells''', still soldered to a connector, still sealed under the nameplate, and still not user-replaceable.<ref name="wprevo" /><ref name="r3uk">David Savery, [https://www.r3uk.com/index.php/tech-tips/34-disassembly-guides/3-psion-revodiamond-mako-disassembly-and-battery-replacement "Psion Revo/Diamond Mako Disassembly & Battery Replacement"], R3UK, 2004. Source for the disassembly and battery replacement procedure, which covers the Revo, the Revo Plus and the Diamond Mako.</ref>
* Use NiMH cells only.<ref name="wprevo" />
* Avoid starting a charge above about 80 %. The charge controller calibrates from a thermal change at about 84 % of indicated capacity, and a charge started above that point may not switch to trickle charge.<ref name="millican" />
* After a battery replacement or hard reset, charge without interruption from empty to full so that the gauge recalibrates.<ref name="wprevo" /><ref name="millican" />
* The loose-cell fault that affected a small number of early Revos was confined to 8 MB machines.<ref name="millican" />


The same rules apply as on the Revo:
The procedure is on [[Psion Revo Battery Replacement]].


* '''NiMH cells only''', because of how the charging circuit works.<ref name="wprevo" />
[[File:Psion Revo and Ericsson MC218.jpg|thumb|300px|A Psion Revo beside an Ericsson MC218, the rebadged Series 5mx]]
* '''Do not charge when the battery is already above about 80 %''' — the charge termination depends on a thermal change around that level, and missing it leads to overcharging. '''This caution applies to both Revo models.'''<ref name="wprevo" />
* After a replacement and hard reset, '''charge uninterrupted from 0 % to 100 %''' so the hardware can recalibrate.<ref name="wprevo" />


The full procedure is on '''[[Psion Revo Battery Replacement]]''', which covers the Revo, the Revo Plus and the Diamond Mako together.<ref name="r3uk" />
== Documentation ==
 
Psion's ''Psion Revo Handbook'' ([[:File:Psion Revo Handbook (February 2000).pdf|PDF]]) covers the Revo's operation, charging, care, troubleshooting and resets, which are the same on the Revo Plus. Its specification appendix gives the 8 MB Revo's figures.<ref name="revohb" />


== General maintenance ==
== General maintenance ==
{{Main|Psion Revo Plus General Maintenance}}
{{Main|Psion Revo Plus General Maintenance}}
See the [[Psion Revo Plus General Maintenance]] guide.


== Troubleshooting ==
== Troubleshooting ==
{{Main|Psion Revo Plus Troubleshooting Guide}}
{{Main|Psion Revo Plus Troubleshooting Guide}}
See the [[Psion Revo Plus Troubleshooting Guide]].


== Battery replacement ==
== Battery replacement ==
{{Main|Psion Revo Battery Replacement}}
{{Main|Psion Revo Battery Replacement}}


== See also ==
The Revo battery replacement procedure applies to the Revo Plus.<ref name="r3uk" />
 
== Related pages ==


* [[Psion Revo]] · [[Psion Series 5mx]] · [[Psion Series 5]]
* [[Psion Revo Plus General Maintenance]]
* '''[[Battery Refurbishment]]'''
* [[Psion Revo Plus Troubleshooting Guide]]
* [[Psion Revo Battery Replacement]]
* [[Psion Revo]]
* [[Psion Series 5mx]]
* [[Battery Refurbishment]]


== References ==
== References ==


<references />
<references>
<ref name="cch">[https://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/7698/Psion-Revo-Plus/ "Psion Revo Plus"], Centre for Computing History.</ref>
<ref name="spec">[https://www.psion.netogram.com/psionspecifications2.html "Psion 3mx, Psion 5, Psion 5mx, Psion Revo and Psion Revo Plus specifications"], netogram.com, section "Psion Revo Plus".</ref>
<ref name="wprevo">[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psion_Revo "Psion Revo"], Wikipedia.</ref>
<ref name="r3uk">David Savery, [https://www.r3uk.com/index.php/tech-tips/34-disassembly-guides/3-psion-revodiamond-mako-disassembly-and-battery-replacement "Psion Revo/Diamond Mako Disassembly & Battery Replacement"], R3UK, 9 August 2004.</ref>
<ref name="millican">Kevin Millican, [https://www.millican.info/oldsite/revobats.htm "Revo Battery Information"], 25 May 2003.</ref>
<ref name="revohb">Psion Computers PLC, ''Psion Revo Handbook'', version 1.1, February 2000, "Specification" (p. 206). Hosted on this wiki as [[:File:Psion Revo Handbook (February 2000).pdf]].</ref>
</references>


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{{Navbox-Psion}}


[[Category:Psion]]
[[Category:Psion]]